Grafts of ovaries in males and females of Pleurodeles waltl (urodele amphibia): evidence of a long-term tolerance of allografts; application following a space biology experiment.
Ovary grafts were investigated in the salamander Pleurodeles using juveniles and adults as donors and hosts. Ovaries were provided by standard or histo-compatible strains and by standard females which had been submitted to a space flight. Laparotomy of the hosts was used to control viability of grafts. Entire juvenile ovaries transplanted into castrated juvenile females or males were tolerated and developed. Ovarian parts of adult females, which contained a majority of oogonies, could also be tolerated by juvenile animals. In addition, ovarian parts supported a better recovery and differentiation than parts that mainly included mature oocytes. About 24 months after the ovary grafts, some hosts (genetical females or males and standard or spatialized females) crossed with standard males provided progenies originating from oocytes of the grafted ovaries. The protocols applied offer a new range of potentialities, adapted to various experimental purposes such as life science research in space or sex differentiation studies.
Dournon
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UPRES EA 2401 Génétique et interactions cellulaires en reproduction, Henri-Poincaré University, Vandaeuvre-lès-Nancy, France. dournon@scbiol.u-nancy.fr
Aimar
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Bautz
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Ropars
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Houillon
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D000818:Animals; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006085:Graft Survival; D008297:Male; D010053:Ovary / Q000637:transplantation*; D010999:Pleurodeles; D013026:Space Flight; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous / Q000276:immunology*